A series of losses over the weekend have left Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé’s basketball teams to do some reassessing but determined to push forward.
The girls team had a tight loss to Colony, while the boys played a trio of hard-fought but ultimately losing games at the Alaska Airlines Classic in Anchorage.
“We did a much better job of trying to make hustle and effort plays,” said boys coach Rob Casperson in an email. “We took more charges and dove on the floor more than we had in our previous games.”
JDHS lost 70-34 to East Anchorage in their first game. The following games were tighter, losing 58-53 to Lathrop and then 64-43 to Colony. Sean Oliver led the team in scoring, a product of his hard work, Casperson said.
“Sean is a very capable scorer, so what he’s doing for us on the offensive end doesn’t surprise me,” Casperson said. “He does it every day in practice.”
Other players also delivered standout individual performances, Casperson said.
“I really appreciated the effort and hustle provided by Tias Carney, Chris Harris, and Porter Nelson,” Casperson said. “Each one sacrificed their bodies multiple times for their teammates.”
Casperson said the team is going to work on their defense, denying the enemy, with the boys scheduled to play four games in a row, every day from Wednesday to Saturday night.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge ahead of us this week. Our preparation is focused on the defensive side of the ball,” Casperson said. “We’ve got to do a better job of working to make scoring opportunities for our opponents less available.” Casperson also thanked last weekend’s hosts West Anchorage High for the chance to play in the tournament.
“We are very thankful for the chance to participate in the Alaska Airlines Classic tournament this year. Everyone is very nice and they are gracious hosts,” Casperson said. “It is a well-run tournament that we look forward to participating in again some day.”
JDHS Girls
The JDHS girls have an 8-3 record, with a recent 51-42 loss to Colony among them.
“We started very poorly — but the girls never quit; eventually figuring out the level of intensity required to compete against good teams,” coach Steve Potter said in an email.
Trinity Jackson led scoring with 10 points, and Rebekah Grube had 9, Potter said. The team is going to be working on playing right from the opening tip, and keeping the other team where they want defensively, Potter said.
“Well, (we’re) just trying to get better at the things we haven’t done particularly well thus far, and improving our communication so we can’t make adjustments more quickly,” Potter said. “We definitely have a tough schedule remaining. Our goal is to be playing our best as we enter regionals.”
The JDHS girls also have a busy weekend ahead, playing four games in a row. Both JDHS boys and girls are scheduled to play Thunder Mountain on the weekend for Feb. 4; it’ll be the boys’ first time squaring up with their cross-town rivals.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
